Transport in the United Kingdom

220 Pages·1982·23.589 MB·English

by  D. Maltby, H. P. White (auth.)

Transport in the United Kingdom
Transport in the
United Kingdom
D. Maltby
Reader in Civil Engineering,
University of Salford
H. P. White
Professor of Geography,
University of Salford
M
© D. Maltby and H. P. White 1982
All rights reserved. No part of tbis publication may be reproduced or
transmitted, in any form or by any means, without permission.
First published 1982 by
THE MACMILLAN PRESS LTD
London and Basingstoke
Companies and representatives
throughout the world
Typeset in 10/llpt Press Roman by
STYLE SET LIMITED
Salisbury· Wiltshire
ISBN 978-0-333-27827-7 ISBN 978-1-349-16835-4 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-16835-4
The paperback edition of the book is sold subject to the condition
that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold,
bired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher's prior
consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in wbich it
is published and without a similar condition including this condition
being imposed on the sub se quent purchaser.
Contents
List of Figures vii
List of Tables viii
Preface ix
Statistical Sources xiii
The Transport Sector 1
1.1 Transport and Employment 1
1.2 Transport and Output 12
1.3 Transport and Expenditure 19
1.4 Balance of Payments and External Trade 25
1.5 Central Government Management of the Economy 28
References 37
2 The Transport System of the United Kingdom 39
2.1 The Road Network 39
2.2 Private Transport 44
2.3 Public Road Passenger Transport 46
2.4 Road Haulage 52
2.5 The Rail System 54
2.6 Air Transport 64
2.7 Water Transport 68
2.8 Pipelines 73
2.9 The Organisation of Transport in Northern Ireland 75
References 76
3 Transport Trends 79
3.1 Overall Trends in Passenger Transport 79
3.2 Trends in Domestic Passenger Transport 82
3.3 Trends in International Passenger Transport 94
3.4 Trends in Domestic Freight Transport 97
3.5 Trends in International Freight Transport 100
3.6 Transport Trends and Technological Change 105
References 108
vi CONTENTS
4 Wider Relationships between Transport and Socia-economic Activity 111
4.1 The Reciprocal Relationship between Transport and Socio-
economic Activity 111
4.2 Transport and Economic Development 113
4.3 Transport and Social Development 119
4.4 Transport and Regional Development 124
4.5 Transport and Land-use Activity 125
4.6 Transport and Communications 131
References 131
5 Local Transport Problems and Policies 134
5.1 Introduction 134
5.2 Large Cities 135
5.3 Medium and Smaller Towns 152
5.4 Rural Areas 155
5.5 General Conclusions 160
References 161
6 National Transport Problems and Policies 163
6.1 Economic Growth and Regional Development 163
6.2 Energy 166
6.3 Transport Manufacturing 168
6.4 Road Transport 169
6.5 Rail Transport 178
6.6 Air Transport 185
6.7 Water Transport 193
References 197
Index 200
List of Figures
1.1 Employment in shipbuilding and marine engineering
1.2 Employment in vehicle manufacture
1.3 Employment in transport and communication
1.4 Transport-related employment
1.5 Index numbers of output at constant factor cost: transport manufacturing
1.6 Index numbers of output at constant factor cost: transport and
communication
1.7 Index numbers of output at constant factor cost: manufacturing
2.1 The motorway network - Great Britain
2.2 The simplification of the British Railway system
2.3 Airports in the United Kingdom
2.4 Pipelines - Great Britain
3.1 Trends in passenger transport
5.1 Space per commuter/average speeds - various modes
List of Tables
l.1(a) Sub-sectors (transport, non-transport and imports) accounting
for at least 10 per cent of the production costs of transport
sub-sectors in the United Kingdom in 1972
1.1 (b) Transport sub-sectors accounting for at least 10 per cent of
the production costs of non-transport sub-sectors
1.2 Gross domestic product by industry in 1975
1.3 Gross domestic product by manufacturing industries in 1975
1.4 Total fmal output of the transport sector in 1972
1.5 Gross domestic product by industry in 1968 and 1975
1.6 Gross domestic product by industry in 1948, 1958, 1968
and 1978
1.7 Movements in the output per employee ratio in the United
Kingdom.
1.8 Total fmal expenditure of the United Kingdom at market prices
1.9 Gross domestic fIxed capital formation by sector and type of
asset in the United Kingdom in 1978
1.10 Public expenditure plans for roads and transport in the United
Kingdom for the 1980-81 fInancial year
2.1 Car ownership levels - representative wards in Greater
Manchester, 1971
2.2 Planning and operation of public passenger transport -
England and Wales
2.3 Rank order of 30 British ports, 1976
5.1 Modal split of journey to work, 1971 - major conurbations
5.2(a) Conurbation centres
5 .2(b) Modal split of journey to work, 1971 - conurbation centres
5.3 Passenger traffIc entering Central London during the morning
peak period
5.4 Modal split of journey to work, 1971 - selected towns
Preface
We have written this book because we consider there is a need for a basic text
for new or relatively new studnets of United Kingdom transport. We have in
mind candidates for Chartered Membership of the Institute of Transport,
undergraduates at universities, polytechnics, and other colleges of higher
education reading transport as a minor or major subject, and postgraduates
at universities and polytechnics attending courses of advanced study in
transport, or conducting transport research. In addition, it provides
background information for students of economics, geography, political science,
and planning who wish to look at the relationship between transport and their
own particular areas of interest. We also have in mind less formal students of
this fundamental human activity with such widespread economic and social
implications, such as politicians, journalists, members of environmental groups,
or people who simply wish to increase their knowledge of transport in the
United Kingdom for its own sake.
We have deliberately written the book, then, for a very disparate readership
in terms of background, discipline and experience. At undergraduate level in
universities and polytechnics, transport studies tend to have a minor role
within such disciplines as civil engineering, economics and geography, although
there is the exception of their forming a whole degree course at three universities
and a subject in a joint degree at another, while they form courses of study
leading to examinations for Corporate Membership of the Chartered Institute
of Transport at other institutions of higher education. It is likely that most
students on postgraduate courses in transport at universities and polytechnics
have read transport as a minor subject in their undergraduate course, but some
will be meeting transport studies formally for the first time. So the new or
relatively new students of transport studies for whom we have written this
book are to found throughout the spectrum of higher education.
The book is aimed primarily at the student of United Kingdom transport.
We have written the book for a United Kingdom context for two principal
reasons: firstly, our joint expertise based on study of transport over some
45 years relates primarily to the United Kingdom; secondly, it is very difficult
writing international texts on transport because of national differences in
policy, institutions, and methodology. None the less the main lessons of this
book can be applied through parallel to countries with comparable political
and economic frameworks to those of the United Kingdom.
x PREFACE
The main reason why we think there is a need for a book such as this lies in
the inter-disciplinary and complex nature of most transport problems on one
hand, and the very wide spectrum of disciplines from which students of
transport come, on the other. Although our basic disciplines are civil engineering
and geography, respectively, we have only developed inter -disciplinary personal
approaches to transport studies after many years of experience. Our main aim
with this book is to speed up this process for new students. Thus the technologist
on reading this book should become more aware of the social science dimensions
of transport problems; equally the social scientist should become more aware of
their technological dimensions. All readers should come to realise the complexity
of most transport problems. Our second main aim is to provide that critical
level of background knowledge which is essential for more advanced study, be
this by courses of study or by research and investigation. Thus our book should
contribute to the development of that broad understanding essential for
significant advances in inter-disciplinary areas; we have provided comprehensive
references to the literature to guide readers on their way to such advanced study.
There are six chapters in the book: chapter 1 on the transport sector; chapter
2 on the transport system; chapter 3 on trends in transport; chapter 4 on wider
relationships between transport and socio-economic activity; chapter 5 on local
transport problems and policies; and chapter 6 on national transport problems
and policies.
Chapter 1 discusses the transport sector at national level in terms of such
variables as employment, output, expenditure and external trade. There is some
difficulty in defining the transport sector because of the pervasiveness of
transport activity but a defmition based on the Standard Industrial Classification
is used. Thus the chapter considers specifically shipbuilding and marine
engineering, vehicle manufacture, and transport and communications, transport
in this context meaning transport operations. The chapter concludes by
examining the importance of the transport sector for central government revenue
and the way in which the transport sector features in public sector expenditure.
The major contribution of this chapter is the way it inter-relates transport
manufacturing, transport operations, and management of the economy by
central government.
Chapter 2 discusses the characteristics of the transport system in the United
Kingdom. Thus the emphasis of the chapter is on transport operations. It is
structured by mode of transport with sections on the road network, private
transport, public road passenger transport, road haulage, rail transport, air
transport, water transport, and pipelines. It includes a fmal section on the
organisation of transport in Northern Ireland, which differs in some measure
from that of the rest of the United Kingdom.
Chapter 3 develops further the themes examined in chapter 2 and examines
the main trends in the contributions by different modes of transport to transport
operations. The chapter first considers overall trends in transport and notes that
most transport modes are at different stages of development in a socio-economic
and technological life cycle in which early expansion and growth in contribution
to transport activity is followed by decline. The position of a particular mode of
transport in this life cycle of development varies from country to country. It is
in such a context that this book can contribute particularly to the study of